Orbit review

[s2325]

Review http://hol.abime.net/5124/review is about different game.

[lilalurl]

Perhaps it is a hidden section in the game?

Thanks for mentioning it. Unfortunately I cannot edit that part of the entry but if nobody with the power to do that does it in a short delay I'll remind them about that.


1) I need to try the currently-listed Orbit game (which should therefore probably now be called Orbit (Cyberstyle).
Judging from the screenshots it may be a Shisen-Sho game (very similar to Mah-Jong Solitaire/Shangai but a bit different), like Turn It that you mentioned a while ago.
Shisen-sho games should have a dedicated subcategory soon.

If you ever happen to find some games that you suspect to be Shisen-Sho please mention it.
The games currently identified as such are Turn it 1 and 2 and Binary.



2) I guess the game in the linked review will need a separate entry.

Not sure about the full name the entry should have.
Orbit (Belczyk) (name of the original author, from what I could read)? Orbit (freeware)?

The Windows/Linux releases seem to be available there:
http://users.rcn.com/steve.belczyk/orbit/#overview

These should be all the relevant files for the amiga releases:
http://aminet.net/search?name=orbit&path[]=game/shoot

If someone feels like grabbing some screenshots, I could then create an entry.

It seems to require a rather complex setup, judging from the readme for the 060 executable:

For the 68k port, you don't need Warp3D. I've tested it on a
Picasso-II with CyberGfx v3, but it should also work on AGA and
Picasso96. I'd like to hear about any experiences. Especially, if it
worked.

Additionally, you need ixemul.library from Aminet. This is because I
used GCC to compile it.

And probably you need a 68060. Not because of Orbit itself, but
because of StormMesa.

So I am not sure if it emulate-able via Winuae.



Btw, the homepage links mentioned in the review/release readmes on Aminet seem to be no longer working though.

[Codetapper]

I have unlinked the review - it might take a day or so to filter into HOL. Once HOL has this PD game listed, I can re-instate the link.

[lilalurl]

Thx.

1) Meanwhile I have tested Orbit (Cybersphere) and it is indeed a Shisen-Sho game, although in this one the lines are not drawn automatically. You have to select the starting point, place and orientate two reflectors and select the destination for the path between two tiles to be created.


2) (For whoever create the Hol entry for the reviewed game. Me probably, but being a bit busy during the weekdays currently that will probably need to wait until September if I want to do it correctly)

There is yet another Orbit game (Orbit (1994)(Paranoid) in TOSEC, PD section), which is a sort of Tron/Snake game.

Actually it has several game variations. I tried the two 1-player games.
You control a sort of snake-entity, automatically moving forward, rotating it with the joystick or the mouse.

In the first gametype, you have to avoid 1 (or more on later levels) ball while waiting for a letter (matching the current level name, so A for instance for level A) to appear. Then if you manage to reach it, it will take you to the next level.
So to me that's very snake-like although there is no tail growth involved.


The second gametype is different. An impassable bar is slowly coming from the left and is therefore restricting the gameplay area. You increase your score by either hitting the ball (so unlike the other gametype it is not lethal here) or having the ball hit the bar.


Such variety might bring some issues for a correct category (or more likely subcategory).